Ice tray



July 30, 1946. L. L. MALLARD ICE TRAY Filed April 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheetl July 30, 1946.

L. L. MALLARD ICE TRAY Filed April 1., 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedJuly 30, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICE TRAY Logan L. Mallard,Norfolk, Va., assignor of onehalf to H. Clay Hofheimer, II, Norfolk, Va.

Application April 1, 194d,v Serial No. 529,098

Claims. 1

This invention relates toice forming apparatus or ice cube trays, andmore particularly to a tray having means for automatically releasing theice cubes from the tray after the ice is frozen and the tray is takenfrom the refrigerator.

It is an object of the invention to provide an ice tray which will morepositively and uniformly eject. the cubes when the tray is taken fromthe ordinary household refrigerator.

Av further object of the invention is to provide a simple inexpensive,practical, device of the above character;

The invention is intended to avoid the necessity for using levers orother extraneous mechanical devices for releasing the cubes for greaterccnvenience;

Briefly stated, the invention includes the combination of spring meansand heat operated meansfor distorting or moving a Wall or wallporforming an ice cube cell to eject the cube one or more of which maybe combined to provide an ice tray.

The. foregoing and other objects and advantages will become apparent inview of the following description taken in conjunction with thedrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective of an ice tray illustrating one application ofthe 'invention;

Fig. 2, section on the 1ine'2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs; 3v and 4,, plan. and side views respectively or" a. mounting discand coil springs for application beneath a cube cell;

Fig. a transverse: section similar to that of Fig. 2,. but with adifferent type of spring. means beneaththe-cube cells;

Fig. 6, a multiple tempered spring unit;

Fig-.7, asectionon the line 1-1 of Fig. 5; and

8 a transverse section of a tray similar to those of Figs. 1, 2, 5 and7, but with the bottoms of the cube cells corrugated and in physicalcontact with the bottom of the tray.

Referring to the drawings, the tray of the present invention consists oftop 9 and bottom sect-lens iil-adapted to have intimate contact with theupper surface-of. a freezingv shelf of a household refrigerator or otherfreezing surface, and accordingly has a substantially fiat undersurface. For strengththe bottom may have corrugations or crimpedportions ll extending longitudinally and transversely thereof or in anyother desired manner. The bottom is also provided with'a marginalupstanding flange i2 adapted to form a joint with the outer side wall I3of the main body or top'section' of the tray. This main body or'top'sectionof the tray may be of stamped sheet metal or other goodconduction material with depressed wall portions l4 providing cube cellsor pockets for water or other material to be frozene As shown the Wallsforming the pockets or cube'cells have separate bottoms I5 with theiredges spun over the lower extremity of the depending walls M, orotherwiseintimately secured thereto. In order to facilitate the removalof ice from the cube cells or ice pockets the walls M are preferablytapered or uniformly enlarging from bottom to top of the cells.thusproviding cells larger at the top than at the bottom so that ice mabedischarged more easily.

The. bottom id of the cube cell or chamber in which water is adaptedto'be frozen to formice is preferably thinner than the: side wall sothat it can be readily flexed. In order to provide this flexing actionthe tray is constructed in a manner to provide a closed chamber aboutthe exterior of each cube cell and between the cells and the outer wallsand bottom of the tray, This chamber is filled with a volatile substanceand at a temperature and pressure such that when the tray is taken-fromits refrigerating environment such as the cooling unit of ahouseholdrefrigerator at a temperature below 32 Fahrenheit into the atmosphere atorhigher, heat will fiOW through the. wallsof the: tray and heat the gasthereby causing it to expand and-exert pressure on the most easilyflexed portions of the tray, which according to the construction of thetray are the bottoms I5 of the ice cube cells. The-tray may be providedwith an extended end portion 2| in accordance with the volume ofexpansible fluid desired to be maintained'within the chamber of thetray.

In order to supplement this gas expansion mechanical spring means may beemployed. This spring means may include coilsprings 16 of which, asshown in Fig. 3; there may be any desired number attached to a mountingor supporting plate ll, one of which unit assemblies may be slippedbeneath the bottom- 15 of each cube cell. If desired, in lieu-of springassemblies like that shown in Fig. 3 amultiple tempered spring unit l8'may beemployed' with corrugated spring members [9 attached at their endsto the member I8; This spring unit may be inserted beneath the underside of the bottom of each ice cube cell as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, orif desired instead of utilizing aseparate spring unit a tray may beconstructed like that of Fig. 8 in which the bottom 20 of each ice cubecell. is a spring: unit, or in other words a relatively thin springdiaphragm susceptible of flexure.

In accordance with the present invention the tray has certain portions,as for example, its side walls corrugated in order that they may be ofrelatively thin material but sufficiently stiff and strong to resistdistortion by gas under pressure within the hollow portion of the tray.The relatively stiff wall and bottom cause the movable diaphragms orbottoms of the ice cube cells or pockets to receive all of the forcefrom the combined expansion of gas and action of the springs in the gaschamber of the tray.

While in the drawings there appears to be considerable space beneatheach of the ice cube cell bottoms 15 or pockets, this space isexaggerated in the drawings to show the construction, actually therebeing as little space as possible in order to provide a compactstructure. With the construction of Fig. 8 there is direct metal tometal contact between the bottoms of the cube cell and the bottom of thetray.

NVith the construction described the springs IQ of the structure of Fig.2, the spring portions l9 of the structure of Figs. 5 and 7, and thespring discs 20 of Fig. 8, are all normally urged upwardly under atemperature condition of above 32 so that when the ice cube cells orpockets of the tray are filled with water the bottoms of the ice cubecells or pockets project slightly upwardly into these ice cube cells orpockets. However, upon the temperature being reduced and freezingoccurring the bottoms of the cube cells are depressed against the actionof the springs and the expansible fluid in the chamber of the tray andremain in this depressed condition until the temperature of the tray iselevated sufliciently that the conjoint action of both the gas pressureand the springs forces the ice upwardly in the pocket in each cell sothat it is freed therefrom.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isshown in the drawings and described in the specification but only asindicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described comprising wall structure havinga pocket therein for receiving Water to be frozen into a unit of ice,the bottom wall of said pocket being deformable, wall structurecooperating with said bottom to form a chamber, a body of fluid confinedin said chamber in a manner to exert pressure against said deformablebottom wall upon expansion of fluid due to increase in temperature ofthe fluid, said chamber forming walls being of a character to transferheat from an external source to said fluid, and said fluid being of acharacter and being present in such an amount that upon a rise intemperature of the same that a force will be exerted upon said bottomsufficient to move the same toward the center of said pocket and breakthe bond between the pocket Wall and ice therein, and compression springmeans for assisting the expansive action of the fluid in breaking saidice bond.

2. A device of the character described comprising wall structure havinga pocket therein for receiving water to be frozen into a unit of ice,the bottom wall of said pocket being deformable, wall structurecooperating with said bottom to form a chamber, a body of fluid confinedin said chamber in a manner to exert pressure against said deformablebottom wall upon expansion of fluid due to increase in temperature ofthe fluid, said chamber forming walls being of a character to transferheat from an external source to said fluid, and said fluid being of acharacter and being present in such an amount that upon a rise intemperature of the same that a force will be exerted upon said bottomsuflicient to move the same toward the center of said pocket and breakthe bond between the pocket wall and ice therein, said bottom wall beingprovided with means tending normally to urge it toward the center ofsaid pocket thereby supplementing the force by said fluid upon saidbottom upon increase in temperature of fluid.

3. In an ice tray having one or more pockets for water to be frozen, anda fluid chamber with a gas in the chamber for absorbing heat anddeforming the bottom of the chamber to free the ice in the chamber, andmeans between and in contact with said deformable bottom and the bottomof said fluid chamber for supplementing the force produced by theexpansion of the fluid for freeing the ice.

4. In an ice tray having one or more pockets for water to be frozen, anda fluid chamber with a gas in the chamber for absorbing heat anddeforming the bottom of the chamber to free the ice in the chamber,means associated with said deformable bottom for supplementing the forceproduced by the expansion of the fluid for freeing the ice, said meanscomprising a compression sprin member in said chamber beneath the bottomof the pocket.

5. In an ice tray having one or more pockets for water to be frozen, anda fluid chamber with a gas in the chamber for absorbing heat anddeforming the bottom of the chamber to free the ice in the chamber,means associated with said deformable bottom for supplementing the forceproduced by the expansion of the fluid for freeing the ice, said meanscomprising a spring plate having a plurality of compressible springportions adapted to bear against the bottom Wall of said pocket.

6. In an ice tray having one or more pockets for water to be frozen, anda fluid chamber with a gas in the chamber for absorbing heat anddeforming the bottom of the chamber to free the ice in the chamber,means associated with said deformable bottom for supplementing the forceproduced by the expansion of the fluid for freeing the ice, said meanscomprising a spring member in said chamber beneath the bottom of thepocket, said spring member comprising a plate having a plurality of coilsprings mounted thereon.

7. In an ice tray having one or more pockets for water to be frozen, anda fluid chamber with a gas in the chamber for absorbing heat anddeforming the bottom of the chamber to free the ice in the chamber,means associated with said deformable bottom for supplementing the forceproduced by the expansion of the fluid for freeing the ice, said meanscomprising a spring member in said chamber beneath the bottom Of thepocket, said spring member comprising a spring plate having a pluralityof corrugated spring portions for engagement with the bottom wall ofsaid pocket.

8. A device of the character described comprising Wall structure havinga pocket therein for receiving water to be frozen into a unit of ice,the bottom wall of said pocket being deformable, wall structurecooperating with said bottom to IOlIIl a chamber, a body of fluidconfined in said chamber in a manner to exert pressure against saiddeformable bottom wall upon expansion of fluid due to increase intemperature of the fluid, said chamber forming walls being corrugated atthe sides to increase the strength of the walls and the surface area,said wall being of a character to transfer heat from an external sourceto said fluid, and said fluid being of a character and being present insuch an amount that upon a rise in temperature of the same that a forcewill be exerted upon said bottom sufficient to move the sa ine towardthe center of said pocket and break the bond between the pocket wall andice therein.

9. A device of the character described comprising wall structure havinga pocket therein for receiving water to be frozen into a unit of ice,the bottom wall of said pocket being deformable, wall structurecooperating with said bottom to form a, chamber, a body of fluidconfined in said chamber in a manner to exert pressure against saiddeformable bottom wall upon expansion of fluid due to increase intemperature of the fluid, said chamber forming walls being corrugated atthe sides to increase the strength of the walls and the surface area,said walls being of a character to transfer heat from an external sourceto said fluid, and said fluid being of a character and being present insuch an amount that upon a rise in temperature of the same that a forcewill be exerted upon said bottom sufilcient to move the same toward thecenter of said pocket and break the bond between the pocket wall and icetherein, and spring means for assisting the expansive action of thefluid in breaking said ice bond.

10. A device of the character described comprising wall structure havinga pocket therein for receiving water to be frozen into a unit of ice,the bottom wall of said pocket being deformable, wall structurecooperating with said bottom to form a chamber, and including acorrugated side wall extending around three sides of the tray forstrengthening and providing increased surface area, a body of fluidconfined in said chamber in a manner to exert pressure against saiddeformable bottom wall upon expansion of fluid due to increase intemperature of the fluid, said chamber forming walls being of acharacter to transfer heat from an external source to said fluid, andsaid fluid being of a character and being present in such an amount thatupon a rise in temperature of the same that a force will be exerted uponsaid bottom sufiicient to move the same toward the center of said pocketand break the bond between the pocket wall and ice therein, said bottomwall being provided with means tending normally to urge it toward thecenter of said pocket thereby supplementing the force by said fluid uponsaid bottom upon increase in temperature of fluid.

LOGAN L. MAILARD.

